Hickory Creek of Athens
51 EAST 4TH STREET, The Plains, OH 45780
The Plains, Ohio · CMS verdict
On the federal five-star scale, Hickory Creek of Athens carries a 4 of 5 CMS overall rating, above-average quality that runs above Ohio's state average of 3.2.
The rating and the PlainElderCare Index below summarize federal inspection, staffing, and outcome data, they measure specific, documented dimensions of this facility, not a holistic verdict on the care your family member would receive. Visit in person, talk with staff and current residents' families, and weigh your family member's specific needs before choosing.
Hickory Creek of Athens in The Plains, Ohio holds a CMS overall rating of 4 of 5 stars and a PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index of 57 of 100 (grade F). The 99-bed facility operates where a semi-private nursing-home room in Ohio runs a median of $9,186 per month. Figures are from CMS Nursing Home Compare.
PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index
A transparent composite of this facility's CMS Care Compare sub-ratings and its federal inspection record. It complements, and does not replace, the official CMS overall rating of 4 of 5 stars. How this is calculated.
How the 57 is built
Each segment is a dimension's weighted points toward the score, summing to 57.
Weights: health inspections 30%, staffing 25%, quality measures 25%, inspection record 20%; any dimension CMS has not published drops out and its weight redistributes (no silent deflation). Inspection record is benchmarked against all rated US nursing homes. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Data insights
Quality ratings
On Care Compare (data as of April 2026), Hickory Creek of Athens carries an overall CMS quality rating of 4 out of 5 stars. That figure rolls up three sub-ratings tracked separately: health inspection (4/5), staffing (2/5), and quality measures (4/5).
What each sub-rating measures
The health inspection rating reflects on-site surveyor findings from the last three cycles. The staffing rating compares case-mix-adjusted nurse hours per resident day to national benchmarks, and quality measures aggregate 15 clinical indicators including pressure ulcers, falls with injury, and long-stay antipsychotic use.
Size and setting
Located in The Plains, Ohio, this facility operates 99 certified beds with an average daily census of roughly 76 residents - an occupancy rate of about 77%. The facility is classified under for profit - corporation ownership, a designation that can influence staffing patterns, reinvestment decisions, and admissions policy. At roughly 77% occupancy, this facility has meaningful open capacity relative to its certified bed count.
Same-ownership peers
Within Ohio, Hickory Creek of Athens is one of 490 for profit - corporation nursing homes CMS rates. Its 4-star overall rating sits above the for profit - corporation-segment average of 3.2 stars, ahead of roughly 54% of same-ownership peers in the state. Comparing a facility against its own ownership segment holds the business model roughly constant, which helps isolate facility-level performance from the staffing and reinvestment patterns that differ across for-profit, non-profit, and government operators.
Inspection record
On the regulatory side, federal and state surveyors have documented multiple deficiencies at this facility (25 total). CMS has levied no enforcement penalties over the equivalent window. This is a high deficiency count relative to most facilities; requesting the full survey report directly is the only way to see whether these are concentrated in one area or spread across the facility's operations.
Where these figures come from
The figures above come directly from the U.S. Centers for Medicare \& Medicaid Services Nursing Home Compare dataset for federal quality ratings, combined with the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey of more than 15,000 elder-care providers nationwide and U.S. Census American Community Survey income data. Cost figures are monthly medians, refreshed annually with each new CareScout release; quality ratings are refreshed quarterly from the CMS Provider Information File. Read these state and county medians as benchmarks, then verify current rates with individual providers and consult care managers before making placement decisions. See our methodology for source vintage.
How Hickory Creek of Athens compares to Ohio
CMS five-star sub-ratings (0–5) for this facility against the Ohio facility-weighted average. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Bar = this facility's rating · vertical marker = Ohio state average. Higher is better on all four CMS measures.
Where Hickory Creek of Athens ranks in Ohio
Among the 911 CMS-rated nursing homes in Ohio, Hickory Creek of Athens’s 4-star overall rating is higher than 56% of them. The bars show how all Ohio homes spread across the CMS 1-to-5 scale; this facility’s band is highlighted.
192 Ohio homes share this 4-star rating. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Facility details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 99 |
| Residents | 76 |
| Ownership | For profit - Corporation |
| County | Athens |
| Penalties | 0 |
| Deficiencies | 25 |
Source: CMS Care Compare Nursing Homes (data as of April 2026)
What do families ask most?
What is the quality rating for Hickory Creek of Athens? ▾
CMS rates Hickory Creek of Athens at 4 out of 5 stars overall. The three sub-ratings behind that number: health inspection 4/5, staffing 2/5, quality measures 4/5.
How much does a nursing home cost per month in Ohio? ▾
In Ohio, a semi-private nursing home room runs a median $9,186/month ($110,230/year) per the CareScout 2025 survey; private rooms average $10,389/month.
What services does Hickory Creek of Athens offer? ▾
Hickory Creek of Athens is a skilled nursing facility with 99 beds with approximately 76 current residents. It operates under for profit - corporation ownership. The facility has recorded 25 deficiencies and 0 penalties in CMS inspections.
Does Hickory Creek of Athens have any deficiencies or penalties? ▾
Hickory Creek of Athens has multiple deficiencies (25 total) and 0 penalties recorded by CMS. A count this high is above what most facilities post; ask the facility directly for its plan of correction on the largest findings.
What are the alternatives to a nursing home in Ohio? ▾
In Ohio, alternatives include assisted living ($6,103/mo), home health aides ($6,483/mo), and adult day care ($1,798/mo).
Elder Care Guides
Explore PlainElderCare
Related Resources
Compare cost and CMS quality across the state on the Ohio elder-care overview, or see how facilities rank nationwide in our highest-rated states ranking.
Weigh nursing care against assisted living, home health, and adult day care, with national median costs, on our care types comparison, and learn how to fund it in our paying for elder care guide.
Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare. Provider ID: 365589.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.